When my children were young, they used to watch the same videotapes over and over. Yes, I’m dating myself. Toy Story was a favorite of theirs. I could not understand why they insisted on watching it over and over. Why watch it again when they could recite the movie from heart. Then I thought about it and realized why not reinforce a great message?

Goat and the Terror Birds is quite an escape. I thought reading a children’s book would be a cakewalk. I was mistaken! I read this book, put it down and reread the story. There are a lot of working parts to this tale.

Mac, dealing with his mother’s recent death has moved in with his Aunt Maddy and his cousin. Aunt Maddy is a loving and caring person happy to take Mac in but is struggling to make ends meet. Mac’s father is off exploring Africa in search of the “Terror Birds” believing it is his destiny to discover these elusive creatures and earn his way back to see his son.

While Mac is settling into his new environment a neighbor comes over. The neighbor just happens to be a Sir William, a goat. Sir William comes to their house and destroys the kitchen fixing them a sweet snack. Mac is horrified knowing his aunt will be home any minute, but lickity split just like that, the Sir William cleans the kitchen until it sparkles. Dr. Seuss’s Cat in The Hat comes to mind.

Sir William comes from a long line of goats that pride themselves on helping the less fortunate. Every time a crisis comes up, Sir William is there to help in very creative ways and fills in as a surrogate father to Mac.

There is a lot going on in this story. A young child dealing with a parents death, a father how is not around when a child needs him most, a young boy getting used to his new surroundings while being bullied from the neighborhood villain. Are you scared yet? You shouldn’t be. PJ Gilbers does a great job of showing strength in here characters. She shows that children are resilient and you walk away feeling good from this heartwarming story. This is one of many forthcoming adventures of Sir William and I can’t wait to hear more.

Last but not least, Nicolas Longprez’s illustrations really bring this text to life. Coupled with Gilber’s story telling this book is a great start to a series.